About this project

$2,281

pledged of $2,200 goal

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Our project is a Rock Ballet. Think "Rock Opera" but where the dance is telling the story instead of the lyrics. It's also like a Rock Opera in that there is very little Opera (or Ballet) in the strictly defined sense. Ours is based on the Greek myth of Persephone, the one about how the seasons came to exist. We both love art that references archetypes, and we think emotional integration of opposites is an important factor of personal evolution. The situations Persephone faces in the myth are a great vessel for our message.

This is the most exciting thing either of us has done so far. We took the Greek myth, added some of our own events and elements (for example Aliens and Faeries), and outlined the plot into 18 scenes. David is writing 18 songs and each one is based on the emotional context of a scene. Hilary is choreographing 18 dances that tell the story in detail, using David's songs as the music. The songs will be partly recorded, and performed live by David and 2 other band members. We've got over 20 dancers on board so far who will be performing the dances, in costume, in front of the live music. We're going to build a few set pieces and stage effects that are key elements in certain scenes, and we're going to create backdrop paintings to project on a screen behind the band. The show will not only rock, it will be moving, and visually exciting as well. It's happening June 9th and 10th at the Sondheim Theater in Fairfield, Iowa, and we're going to videotape it for DVD release. We're hoping to book more shows if we can.

From David: I've been writing music since I was 8. It's my lifeblood. I've got hundreds of songs written and recorded, most of which have yet to be released. It's like a huge artistic dam that's about to break. This show is basically cracking that open. Here's why I make art: every person sees a thing they want, maybe for as long as they can remember they've wanted this thing, or to be a certain way, be a better person somehow... to find a meaning in themselves or their existence. That intuitive desire comes from a very deep place that we often hide away or cover up. When I write music, that's where I try to get back to. We don't have to cover that up. Most of the time, that's what the songs are trying to say to you.

From Hilary: I've been choreographing and dancing since I was 3 years old, it almost feels like dance chose me, as opposed to me choosing it. I believe it is a beautiful art form that is a part of all of us and that each of our souls wants to dance. I think that the reason I dance, teach, choreograph, and direct, is that I bring a willingness to think and express outside the box, and that helps the art of dance break its social boundaries. My mission is to revive dance as something relevant to the average person. It is a right-brained, archetypal art form, a chance to get out of the mind and into the heart. It has an effect on our subconscious and inspires us to dream.

OVER FUNDING:

The funding goal we've set will cover most of the core costs of our production. We feel it's modest enough to be achievable by our deadline. However, there are extended costs that would fall in a category below "critical" that are by no means frivolous. Should the donated funds exceed our goal, here's how we would apply them:

$4200 - An additional thousand would allow us to extend beyond the minimum costs of marketing and set construction, and absorb a portion of the facility fees and security deposit that would otherwise come out of ticket sales.

$5200 - An additional thousand would absorb the rest of the facility fees, allowing the project's creators to be paid $500 each for their months of hard work.

Anything greater would provide an option to begin paying our principal dancers, who are all currently working under volunteer agreement.

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All $100 rewards, plus 4 complimentary reserved-seating tickets to either performance of "Persephone - A Rock Ballet" at the Sondheim Theater in Fairfield, Iowa (Saturday June 9th or Sunday June 10th). Tickets will be mailed before the show, all other materials will be mailed by August to give time for DVD production.